Tuchel: There was no contact with Dembele throughout the winter window, and we respected that the opponent would strike with a strong line

Live bar On February 4, 20:30 Beijing time, the fourth round of the English FA Cup, Chelsea will usher in the challenge of League One team Plymouth. Before the match, Chelsea manager Tuchel attended a press conference and he talked about some of the current situation of the team. Tuchel said he did not contact Dembele in the winter window.

How important is this break?

Tuchel: "It helps a lot, we're the team that plays the most games and has the least amount of time to rest between games, which takes a lot of our energy. This break is important for everyone, and we're going to have a busy month ahead of us, and we're looking forward to it. ”

About the team's injuries

Tuchel: "Rees James, Chilwell and Cheek are still injured and with the exception of Thiago Silva and Pulisic, who are on international assignments, the rest of the players are training. We respect tomorrow's game, it's an opportunity for the opponents to show themselves and they have nothing to lose, so we have to be prepared for that. Of course, the next week we will have the FA Cup and Club World Cup semi-finals, and possibly the Club World Cup final. ”

Satisfied with the winter window?

Tuchel: "I'm satisfied because staying calm at this transfer window is the best thing. We were open to things, but I didn't contact Dembele, and we didn't have any contact all winter. ”

About Reese James' injury

Tuchel: "He's not in team training yet, so maybe that could answer that question, in a few weeks he'll need some time in team training to regain confidence and he won't be playing in the Club World Cup with us. ”

Frustrated with January?

Tuchel: "We had our own ideas and tried, but in the end we stuck to the players we had and we were satisfied. Reece James will come back at some point, unfortunately Chilwell won't. At the moment Azpilicueta is in incredible shape, which is great, that's why we don't have a problem and we try to find a solution in the existing squad. ”

Chelsea are the winning favourites for tomorrow's game

Tuchel: "We have to be realistic, we're favourites, but we respect the game and will take it seriously. Of course, it's up to us, and we want to be able to stay in control, and we need to prove it. ”

Was the game great for Plymouth?

Tuchel: "I can understand that, the players will communicate after the game and there will be opportunities to swap shirts, and playing at Stamford Bridge is a huge boost, we can say it's the best day of their careers, but frankly, we want it to be the worst day of the opponent's career. We want to beat them and make things clear, we're a better team, we don't want them to have a good experience, how do we do that? We respect the opponent and tomorrow we will send a strong squad. ”

Are Pulisic and Thiago Silva too loaded?

Tuchel: "It's about the quality of the game, not the quantity. People want to see good football, great players, and for that they need to rest, not get injured, we need a more streamlined schedule. We've played 67 games in a year, and then some of the players have to play in European tournaments, World Cup qualifiers and so on, and many more, which has to pay a lot. ”

(Ma Dongyu)